Louver construction and pivot clip therefor



,VA/V f. ,fn/FF, 33M fai/gf] V. E. HUFF LOUVRE CONSTRUCTION AND PIVOT CLIP THEREFOR Filed April 22, 1946 Dec. 6, 1949 Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES LOUVER CONSTRUCTION AND PIVOT CLIP THEREFOR Van E. HUH, Miami, Fla.

Application April 22, 1946, Serial No. 664,108

4 Claims. l

The present invention relates to a louvre con struction. More particularly, the present invention relates to a louvre construction wherein a traveling member or traveler bar partially connected to slats overlaps a stationary member adapted to partially support the slats, and to a pivot clip especially adapted to be attached to the louvre slats and provided with pivot-receiving members.

The present invention is more particularly concerned with the type oi louvre construction which is adapted to be mounted in the window opening of tropical homes and other structures and to take the place of or supplement the usual glazed sash. However, the present invention is also generally suitable for a louvre adapted to be received in other types of openings and used for other purposes. One of the problems involved in louvre constructions of this character is the provision of an adequate hanger member or pivot clip which can be attached to the slat and will serve as the connecting portion between the slat and a xed member which is attached to the Window frame so that the slat can be pivotally moved relative thereto.

Where a suitable operator is provided for moving a plurality of slats it is desirable that a part of this operator or a traveler bar should overlap the stationary bar or member which carries the slats for pivotal movement. Such a louvre operator member and louvre is disclosed in detail in U. S. Patent No. 2,257,056 and U. S, Patent No. 2,324,454. A pivot clip. which is suitable for mounting slats on the fixed member and also for receiving a pivot carried by the traveler bar is further disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,375,176. However, in the pivot clip shown in detail in the aforementioned U. S. Patent No. 2,375,176, the movable pivot is oiset substantially from the fixed pivot as it was thought that this was necessary in order to permit the overlapping of the traveler bar and the iixed bar which retain the pivots. Although this construction in general has been quite satisfactory it has not been possible, utilizing this construction to open the slats to their fullest extent. There are occasions when the slats should be open to at least the horizontal position and preferably beyond the horizontal position, and in the type of construction shown in the last mentioned U. S. patent the slats were only capable of relatively limited opening to approximately the horizontal.

It is one of the objects of the present invention, therefore, to provide a novel pivot clip and louvre slat operating mechanism which will enable the slats to be opened to a greater extent than formerly, while still permitting the overlapping of the traveler bar and a xed bar upon which the slats are mounted for pivotal movement.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a slat operating mechanism for a lou- 2 vre or the like having a bearing or opening to receive a xed pivot and a second opening which is in general longitudinal alignment relative to the slat and with the rst pivot receiving bar, but

5 is positioned in a different lateral plane.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a novel clip for louvre slats or the like which is capable of easy manufacture from a single piece of metal and which when fastened l0 to the slat will provide both a bearing for the iixed pivot and a second bearing for a laterally spaced movable pivot.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a pivot clip for louvre slats which may be assembled with the rest of the operating mechanism and will lend itself to easy insertion of a wooden slat or the like, after the operating mechanism has been assembled.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a pivot clip having a general L-shape and adapted to be positioned about the end of a louvre slat and provided with a second integral L-shaped portion, wherein the base of the L is in a diiferent lateral plane than the base of the L-shaped pivot clip as a whole.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and igures of the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a front View of a slat and traveler bar assembly incorporating the new pivot clip; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the Slat and louvre assembly of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the slat shown in open position;

Figure 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 4 but taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 2 Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure 1, but taken from the rear of the louvre construction;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the pivot clip itself.

a rivet or a machine screw or any other suitable member which iscapable of supporting one end of the Slat and permitting its pivotal movement relative to the member Il. The rivet or screw or other suitable pivot I2 is received within an opening l5 in the pivot clip which is best shown in Figure 8 and indicated in general at I6. As may be noted from the drawing the pivot clip body isin general L-shape in cross section, being provided with twolegs or portions I7 and I8.k

The portion Il is adapted to be positioned against the end of the slat and the portion i8 against the face of the slat. Two openings i9 and are provided for screws 2| and 22, respectively, which serve to fasten the slat to the pivot clip. The portion I8 of the pivot clip extends upwardly and `terminates in a generally rounded portion 23 which extends over the upper edge of the slat when assembled.

Extending laterally from the upper end of the portion I8 is a portion 2li provided with an opening Zfor receiving a traveling pivot-of the louvre operating mechanism. It will be noted from Figure 8 and other figures of the drawing that the portion 25 with the upper end of the portion i8 constitutes aY second L-shape member having a base, i..e., the portion "M, in a different lateral plane from the portion il.

'The traveling pivot which may be a rivet or yother suitable screw, pin, or the like and indicated at 26, is received in the opening 25 and. extends through a traveler bar 2i. As shown in Figures 4 to 6 particularly, the traveler bar is of general L-shape in cross section and the portion 2l which receives the pivot, is adapted to overlap a portion ofthe xed pivot supporting member H which also is of a general L-shape. This isi best `shown in Figures 5 and 6. The second leg of the L-shape traveler bar 2'! is indicated at 2Q and as shown in Figures 5 and 6 is provided with a forwardly bent portion 3B which is adapted to bear against the facel of the slats when the slats are closed in order to maintain the saine in a firmly fixed closed position. i

By referring to Figure 3 it will be noted that by thus providing a pivot clip receiving portion for aremovable pivot 26 which is oiset in a different lateralV planel than the fixed pivot-receiving portion i5, it is possible to substantially align the pivots as shown in Figure 3 or at least position the pivots within the width of the slat and at the same time permit overlapping of the traveler bar portion 28 and a porti-on of the slat support i l As pointed out in the patents previously referred to, the overlapping of the traveler bar and the xed bar constitutes what amounts to a weather stripping arrangement. The traveler bar may be moved by any suitable mechanism 'Y such as a link connected to a rack and gear disu closed in the aforementioned prior patents or a simple manual operator. Movement of the traveler bar "'I in the directions of the arrows indicated in Figure 3 will open and close the slat i6. Obviously if the pivot 26 were oset downwardly any substantial amount ascompared to the Varrangement shown in Figure 3; forVV the same movement of the traveler bar 2l thel Slat l@ would be moved a lesser distance. Since the two pivots are positioned relatively close together as compared to the remainder of the slat this diiierence is multiplied and a very sub- Astantial amount of slat opening is achieved in bination with a louver of an end clip comprising 'an L-shapedv body portion, one' arm of which is adapted to lie at against the slat and the other arm of which is adapted to lie against the end of the slat, said rst mentioned arm having an upwardly extending L-shaped extension provided with a laterally' extending portion off-set with respect to the arm which lies against the end ofthe slat and in a diiierent plane from said arm, said last mentioned body arm and the oi-set portion respectively having pivot openings therein for the reception of pivots for the slet and for an operating bar, anda nxed member to which the slat is pivoted. Y

2. In a device'of the kind described, the combination with a louver of an end clip comprising an L-shaped body portion, one arm of which is adapted to lie at against the slat and the other arm of which is adapted to lie against the end of the slat, said first mentioned arm having an upwardly-extending Lj-shaped extension provided with a laterally extending portion o-set with respect to the arm which lies against the end of the slat and in a diierent plane from said arm, said last mentioned body arm and the oiset portion having pivot openings therein for the reception of a pivot for the slat and a pivot for an operating bar, said upward extension having an in-curved terminal portion lapping the upper edge of the slat to which the clip is affixed.

3. In combination', a louver construction including a stationary member extending from a louver frame and having a general l-shape, a slat, a pvot clip comprising an L-shaped portion, one arm of which is inengagement with the outer face'of the slat and the other arm which engages the end of the slat', saidrst mentioned arm having an upper L-shaped extension provided with a laterally extending portion off-set with respect to the arm which lies against the end of the slat and in a different plane from said arm, said lash mentioned body arm and the oiT-set portion re spectively having pivot openings therein for the reception of a pivot for the slat and a pivot for an operating bar, a' traveler bar of general i.shape in cross' section for moving said slat and provided with a flange overlapping a portion of the stru tionary member, said traveler bar being provided with a second flange parallel to the rst iiange and closing against the body portion oi 'the clip upon the closing of the louver, the overlapping portion of the traveler bar and the oieset portion of the clip being pivotally connected.

4. A pivot clip `for a louvre construction having an L-shapedv member provided with a portion having means to fasten said clip to a louvre slat and a pivot receiving portion, and a second integral L-shapedv member having a portion spaced outwardly from said pivot receiving portion and including a pivot receiving portion aligned with said rst pivot receiving portion within the width of the louvre slat and in a different transverse plane therefrom.

VAN E. HUFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '708,618 Briggs Sept. 9, 1902 2,375,176 I-IuffV e May 1, 1945 2,457,871 Cooper Jan. e, 1949 

